Schumer seeks review of jump in flood insurance costs

A whopping increase in flood insurance payments for some 20,000 Long Island property owners would be put on hold until a re-evaluation of storm risk to homes and businesses is conducted by the federal government under a "moratorium" plan announced Monday by Sen. Charles Schumer.

At Valley Stream Village Hall, Schumer, a Democrat, said the new flood hazard zone maps recently put into place by the Federal Emergency Management Agency were "inaccurate, outdated and flawed," and needlessly cost some property owners as much as $2,000 in flood insurance payments annually. He said no evidence exists of a historical risk to many properties, particularly those in Valley Stream, and he promised to push the agency to re-examine its methods before year's end.

"FEMA must go back to the drawing board, put an immediate moratorium in place and conduct a comprehensive" new study that examines the sea-level height of each property added to the agency's new drawing of the flood maps on Long Island, he said. "All the evidence points to a significant misfire by FEMA in its mapping, modeling and implementation."

Timothy Crowley, FEMA's regional mitigation director overseeing flood maps, said he hadn't yet received Schumer's request but defended his agency's methods in examining flood risk to the newly added Long Island properties, most of them in Nassau County's southern communities. Property owners in the flood zones with federally backed mortgages must carry flood insurance.

"As for the maps, it uses state-of-the art techniques and is the most accurate depiction of risk within our budget," Crowley said. He said the agency's budget doesn't allow for property-by-property evaluation, but noted that several homeowners recently had challenged their inclusion in the flood zone successfully.

FEMA officials in Washington, without commenting specifically on Schumer's proposal, said they're willing to listen.

"The process of updating these maps, some which have not been updated in decades, is an ongoing, collaborative process, and FEMA will continue to work closely with states and local communities and take relevant data into account while updating its flood maps based on the best available information," said spokesman Brad Carroll.